1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an apparatus designed for use in the air duct portion of a ventilation system in certain buildings, such as penal institutions, hospitals, and mental health facilities. More specifically, the invention pertains to a security module for use with a ventilation grating, having a body with a planar surfaced base and an outer wall extending from the base, the body further including inner passageways extending from said base to said outer wall, each of said passageways having a first portion extending from said base in a first axial direction perpendicular to said base, and a second portion extending from said outer wall in a second axial direction to intersect said first portion within said body, said first and second axial directions being perpendicular with respect to each other. The attachment of one or more security modules to a ventilation grating prevents the use of such grating as a means for hanging.
2. Description of the Prior Art
All buildings, and each discrete space therein, which have human inhabitants are required to have ventilation, and most have heating and air conditioning. Such heating, air conditioning and ventilation is provided through ducts into and out of the various spaces. A grille, or grating, usually covers the terminal end of the duct at the point where air enters or leaves the room or space.
Such ventilation gratings have openings in the form of slats or perforations to allow the passage of air. In penal institutions, such as jails, prisons and penitentiaries, as well as in hospitals and mental health facilities, the ventilation gratings must be constructed of a strong material and affixed to a structure, such as a ceiling or wall, to prevent removal of the grating and access to the duct. The space within the duct, immediately behind the grating, has been used by inmates or patients in such facilities to hide weapons and contraband. The ventilation grating itself has also been used by inmates or patients to hang themselves. This is accomplished by threading a rope-like material, for example dental floss, up into the duct area, securing the material over a solid portion of the grating, and bringing the material back into the cell or room. The incidence of such hangings has increased dramatically in recent years and now constitutes a very serious problem in jails, prisons and penitentiaries.
Various apparatuses have been designed for use in penal institutions, hospitals and mental health facilities. Such apparatuses are primarily directed toward grilles, registers, diffusers, and vents which have been specially adapted for use in high security applications. The majority of these grilles, registers and diffusers are designed to resist tampering or removal, and/or to prevent intrusion into the duct area; and there are only a few such apparatuses which have attempted to address the problem of an inmate or patient using the ventilation grating to commit suicide by hanging.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,189, issued to Morris et al., discloses a plenum vacuum chamber security airflow device which is tamper-proof and resistant to vandalism. A security slot diffuser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,784, issued to DeHart et al., also claims such usefulness in high security area applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,373, granted to Tiede, discloses a security grille which, by use of “zig-zag” passages, impairs the ability of inmates, or other persons in a security institution, from using the grille to hang themselves. This security grille, however, still allows an inmate to feed items up into the structure and conceal them, and does not completely prevent use of the grille for hanging.
Considering the seriousness of the problem, and the fact that use of the grilles in this manner results in death, the benefits of the present invention will certainly be appreciated. The present invention completely prevents both the use of area behind the grating for concealment, and the use of the grating to commit suicide by hanging.